Slide valve apparatus for internal combustion engine

Abstract

A valve apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes an intake valve plate and an exhaust valve plate mounted side-by-side for longitudinal reciprocable, slidable movement over the mouth or opening of the combustion cylinder. Each of the slidable valve plates includes a plurality of longitudinally spaced movable valve ports which are adapted to register with corresponding fixed valve ports in the valve head on the opposite side of the slidable valve plates from the engine cylinder.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. In an internal combustion engine including a combustion cylinder having an opening at one end thereof, a piston mounted within the cylinder for coaxial reciprocable movement, a driven crankshaft, and a connecting rod connecting said crankshaft to said cylinder for linear reciprocable movement of said piston in response to the rotary movement of said crankshaft, a valve apparatus comprising: (a) a valve chamber extending longitudinally across and in fluid communication with the opening in said cylinder,   (b) an intake valve plate having a longitudinal axis mounted within said valve chamber for slidable, reciprocable, longitudinal movement,   (c) an exhaust valve plate having a longitudinal axis mounted within said valve chamber alongside said intake valve plate for slidable, reciprocable, longitudinal movement and parallel to the longitudinal axis of said intake valve plate,   (d) each of said valve plates having a plurality of longitudinally spaced valve ports therein, said valve ports comprising movable intake valve ports in said intake valve plate and movable exhaust valve ports in said exhaust valve plate,   (e) said valve chamber comprising a planar wall on the opposite side of said valve plates from said cylinder opening and having a plurality of fixed valve ports therethrough, said fixed valve ports being equal in number and substantially equal in size and spacing as said movable intake and exhaust valve ports, whereby said movable intake valve ports are adapted to register with their corresponding fixed valve ports when said intake valve plate is in its intake operative position for opening fluid communication between said cylinder and said corresponding fixed valve ports, said movable exhaust valve ports being adapted to register with their corresponding fixed valve ports when said exhaust valve plate is in its exhaust operative position permitting fluid communication between said cylinder and said corresponding fixed valve ports,   (f) intake means communicating with said fixed intake valve ports for supplying fuel to said cylinder through said fixed intake valve ports and said movable intake valve ports in said intake operative position,   (g) exhaust means for removing exhaust gases from said cylinder through said registered movable exhaust valve ports and fixed exhaust valve ports when said exhaust valve plate is in its exhaust operative position,   (h) cam means operatively connected to said crankshaft PG,19 and to said intake and exhaust valve plates for longitudinally and reciprocably moving said valve plates for opening and closing fluid communication of said cylinder with said fixed intake valve ports and said fixed exhaust valve ports, respectively, periodically.   
     
     
       2. The invention according to claim 1 in which at least one of each of said movable intake valve ports and said movable exhaust valve ports has a transverse dimension greater than its longitudinal dimension and which extends substantially the width of its corresponding intake and exhaust valve plates. 
     
     
       3. The invention according to claim 2 in which said intake valve ports occupy a greater total area than said exhaust valve ports. 
     
     
       4. The invention according to claim 1 in which the size and arrangement of said movable intake valve ports are fully contained within an imaginary, cylindrical perimeter forming the extension of said cylinder, when said intake valve plate is in its intake operative position. 
     
     
       5. The invention according to claim 1 in which the size and arrangement of said movable exhaust valve ports are fully contained within an imaginary, cylindrical perimeter forming the extension of said cylinder when said exhaust valve plate is in its exhaust operative position. 
     
     
       6. The invention according to claim 3 in which all of said intake valve ports have transverse dimensions greater than the corresponding longitudinal dimensions of said exhaust valve ports. 
     
     
       7. The invention according to claim 2 in which there are at least four movable intake valve ports and at least four movable exhaust valves ports. 
     
     
       8. The invention according to claim 7 in which the two middle exhaust valve ports have transverse dimensions greater than their corresponding longitudinal dimensions. 
     
     
       9. The invention according to claim 8 in which the transverse dimensions of each of said intake valve ports is greater than its corresponding longitudinal dimension and each of the two middle intake valve ports has a greater transverse dimension than the corresponding end intake valve ports. 
     
     
       10. The invention according to claim 1 in which said cam means comprises an elongated cam shaft having a pair of longitudinally spaced cams, bearing means supporting said cam shaft for rotary movement about a rotary axis adjacent one end of said valve plates and transversely of the longitudinal axes of said valve plates, operative link means between said cams and said valve plates, whereby each of said valve plates is adapted to be reciprocably moved longitudinally in response to the rotary movement of said cam shaft.